A former Nevada county official was found guilty of first-degree murder for killing Las Vegas investigative reporter Jeff German nearly two years ago and now faces a sentence of life in prison, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. A panel of seven women and five men found Robert Telles, the former Clark County public administrator, guilty in the September 2022 slaying. The jury spent nearly 12 hours over the course of three days deliberating until reaching a guilty verdict, and then deliberated for just over an hour before determining that Telles should spend his life in prison with the possibility of parole in 20 years. Prosecutors said Telles, now 47, fatally stabbed German over articles the journalist had written about his conduct as an elected official, including allegations he created a hostile work environment and had an “inappropriate” relationship with a staffer. The state also alleged that part of the motive for the killing was to prevent German from writing about Telles again.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told reporters on Wednesday that the verdict should send a message. “And that message is a clear message that any attempts to silence the media or to silence or intimidate a journalist will not be tolerated,” he said. Jurors weighed eight days of testimony from dozens of witnesses, including detectives, forensic experts and those who knew Telles, along with three days of testimony from Telles himself. Telles gave a narrative testimony to the jury, without being interrupted by his attorney, before facing cross-examination by prosecutors. Telles admitted during his testimony that he had feared German’s reporting would prohibit him from ever working as a lawyer again in Las Vegas. Telles tried to disguise himself in an orange reflective vest and large, straw hat before attacking the journalist outside his home, prosecutors said, showing jurors a neighbor’s home surveillance video that captured the slaying from a distance. The state’s evidence against Telles included his own DNA found underneath German’s fingernails, plus surveillance footage and items found at his home matching the assailant’s clothing.
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